


Friends 101

by chemistry35



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, You can read it as either them dating or just being close friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 17:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16538651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemistry35/pseuds/chemistry35
Summary: Years ago, Ralsei hand-crafted a booklet of information for his new friends. Now, Kris finds it and the two reminisce. (Based on the sadly unused sprites for the manual in the game's files.)





	Friends 101

Boxes and suitcases littered the floor. Only a scant few wall decorations remained, to be abandoned due to changing tastes. For the first time in years, the floor was uncluttered. Kris and Ralsei were leaving home to move off to university, and had begun the arduous task of selecting what would travel with them to their new lodgings and what would have to be left behind.

Kris finished rifling through a box of old miscellany and set it gently beside him. “Nothing worth keeping in that one, unless you have a strong affinity for the CD of Christmas carols that Noelle handed out to everyone in our class a few years ago.” Ralsei, sitting across from Kris, continued digging through his own box as Kris grabbed another. Lying atop the pile of collected objects was a small booklet, bound with string. As Kris gingerly picked it up, a few pieces of macaroni fell from its cover.  
“Oh! I remember this! You made this for me a long time ago, Ralsei!” Ralsei looked up, immediately recognized the booklet, his face going flush. Noticing the dark prince’s embarrassment, Kris gleefully continued perusing the old manual, each page revealing another set of handwritten advice or a carefully drawn diagram. “You gave this to me when we first met, didn’t you?” They both knew the answer, but Kris liked to tease the easily flustered goat.

“Yeah! I made it just for you! Well, for whoever the human that fulfilled the prophecy would be.” A smile formed on Ralsei’s face as he recalled his creation of the manual.

Ralsei knew that eventually, the human and the monster that were prophesized would come to the Dark World, and he wouldn’t be lonely. Until then, he amused himself in the few ways he could – reciting the prophecy over and over so that he would do so perfectly when they arrived, perfecting the training dummy that he would use to teach them, and writing out as many helpful tips as he could think of. Between meticulously written out guides for how to properly deal peacefully with the many inhabitants of the Dark World, Ralsei would doodle small images of himself with his future friends. Of course, he didn’t know who they would be, so his drawings were rudimentary at best. Still, he put all his effort into it, making sure the guide was enough to impress and assist his friends whenever they showed up.

If they showed up.

Ralsei shook his head and tried to clear that thought from his mind. Eventually, the human and the monster would arrive, and he wouldn’t be so lonely anymore. He closed the manual and prepared to head to bed, but not before adding a heart on the cover he had adorned himself with macaroni and writing reading “Friends 101”.

Years later, that manual sat on a corner of a table in Ralsei’s castle, buried in a thick layer of dust. Ralsei had resigned himself to his solitude. Being the prince of an empty Dark World was a truly lonely endeavor, but he had no other choice. He would practice his singing to himself and take walks around the palace grounds, and had resigned himself to that loneliness. It wasn’t entirely bad, actually – it was certainly peaceful, but there was still a void in his life that needed friendship to be filled. Ralsei’s hopes weren’t high, however. He didn’t even allow himself to get his hopes up when he heard distant shuffling from the edges of his palace grounds. It wasn’t until he actually saw the two figures – a blue-clad human and a purple monster – that he truly believed his age old wishes were coming true.

He almost couldn’t contain his excitement as he dramatically entered the palace to introduce the prophecy to Kris and Susie. With the careful wording he had practiced for so long, interlaced with his impulsive gestures of excitement that broke through his carefully planned monologue, he regaled the old prophecy to the two newcomers. The first seemed receptive to his tale, but the second was clearly uninterested. As the monster walked away, Ralsei felt the hopelessness creep back into his mind, and he dejectedly looked down at the ground. Moments later, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kris didn’t speak, but Ralsei could tell that he had at least one ally for his prophecy. A spark re-lit in his eye, Ralsei quickly grabbed the manual he had worked so hard on and pressed it into Kris’ hands. “Here! I made a book with some advice for you!” Ralsei’s voice was unsteady – he had practiced his earlier speech a great deal, but had given no thought to how he would interact with the people he would someday meet on a more personal level.

Side by side, the two of them were able to peacefully venture through the Dark World. Ralsei received a surprise hug at the training dummy which left him unable to react, stunned by the first time he’d ever received a hug. With a little convincing, the two of them were even able to convince Susie as well as the spade-clad Lancer to support them. Together, they were able to solve a puzzle master’s devious tricks as well as a jester’s carousel. By the end of the day, the team had even peacefully dealt with the King. Now, the group stood near the gateway to the fountain they sought to seal. Sealing the fountain was the goal, but it also meant that Ralsei’s two new companions would return to their home. Before Kris and Susie left, Ralsei spoke again with them. His message had the wording of an invitation, but the delivery of a plea – “You two should come back some time! I can make tea and cake, and we can hang out!” Kris didn’t say anything, but he gave a small nod and a smile before stepping through the fountain.

The two would return frequently. Ralsei was always extremely glad to see his new friends, greeting them with stories about what happened in the Dark World along with his experimental new types of cakes. A visit from at least Kris, if not the both of them, became a commonplace daily occurrence (although Ralsei had made sure it occurred after school hours once he discovered the two had been missing classes for their visits). Over time, Kris began to open up with Ralsei, beginning to talk in lieu of the knowing silences he had previously employed. Susie even began to appreciate the pacifist’s more calm way of living life, despite not subscribing to it herself.

However, every wonderful meeting of the group ended with the same sad realization – Kris and Susie would return home and Ralsei would be left alone in the Dark World, awaiting their next visit with equal parts anticipation and anxiety. It pained Kris to see the dejected look on Ralsei’s face each time they left, and so he promised Ralsei that he would try to figure something out. Ralsei wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but he was happy as always to feel cared about, and so he cheerily wished Kris a good night, as he always did. The next day, his tea went cold as he waited for his friends to visit him. Concerned about when his friends would return, Ralsei laid down for a restless sleep, hoping tomorrow would bring Kris back.

Kris did return the next day, with profuse apologies and nervously-explained news. Kris, he explained, had spent the whole of the yesterday attempting to convince Toriel to allow Ralsei to stay over at their house. Toriel found Kris’ explanation of the situation difficult to believe, but was willing to allow it due to wanting Kris to be able to enjoy his friendship. With a nervous smile and only a little trepidation, Ralsei stepped with Kris into Hometown for the first time. The two quickly became an inseparable pair seen often around Hometown, and Ralsei ended up staying with Toriel and Kris in a more permanent fashion. After seeing that Ralsei was not an elaborate fantasy by her child, Toriel was willing to let him stay, since he had nowhere else to truly go. Ralsei started attending classes at the school with Kris and Susie, and the manual found its way into a box in the closet, as its tips and tricks for navigating the Dark World were no longer immediately relevant.

“You know, I think I’m gonna bring this booklet with me, Ral. It reminds me of how we met, and I really am glad to have met you.” Ralsei was too bashful to respond, and buried his face in his scarf. Kris, with a smile, hid the booklet under a small pile of clothes so that Toriel wouldn’t see it and chastise him for bringing too many things. After all, she was just as anxious as them, and she kept reassuring them there wouldn’t be room for too many things in their new dormitories.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I might expand on this idea, I love the idea of Ralsei getting to be happy in the real world. If you wanna talk to me about Deltarune, go to my tumblr at komakokichi.tumblr.com, I love this game a lot and I can't wait for the full release!


End file.
